Deadend Girl
by Kuro Guardian
Summary: And she'd love to live far from every face or name she's ever known.: Hinata leaves the hidden leaf.


Quietly as she has for the past month she walks through the winding corridors of the wooden compound. The only difference is the strange flower she holds which is spreading a red pollen wherever she goes. No one notices this any more then they notice her soft footsteps. At last she steps out into the night dropping the spent blossom she takes something out of her sleeve. It is a mostly filled matchbox from some out of the way bar in Iwa. Opening it she strikes one and carefully feeds it back into the box before throwing the package over her shoulder through the entrance way. Without turning or even a backward glance she counts her steps 'til she reaches the side gate to the nearby river. In full view of anyone and everyone she walks deliberately into the rushing water. She does not come back up.

A few miles down stream she surfaces just as the first explosion goes off. There will be more, but none of the innocents or rather none she considers innocent will be harmed. The rest can die for all she cares. Carefully she exit's the water making sure to bring her sodden robes up with her. Another explosion rocks the environment - massive in size it must have been the patch she planted going up. As she packages the costume up for later burial she estimates that the body she planted will either surface or be found at least a half day from now. From there it'd be at least a few hours before they realized they've been duped. So she has a good twelve to fifteen hours before the possibility of a ruse is discovered. As dry as she's likely to get she redresses quietly damning herself for being so weak she'd tear up at a time like this. There's nothing in Kohona for her anyway.

Suited up she slings her packs upon her back and bows once in the general direction of Kohona. "Good-bye Team 8, good-bye Naruto, and good-bye, good riddance to you my family." With a speed it doesn't seem possible for her to have she vanishes into the uncertain darkness.

…

'How the hell did this happen?' This is the question plaguing Kohona. It had been years since such a blatant attack and for it to happen within the Hyuuga compound was disturbing to say the least. The blonde Godaime sits with her head in her hands. 'This isn't good.' Before her sits the injured clan head Hiashi glowering for all he is worth. Behind him stand a squad of hunter-nin and several mainhouse Hyuuga glowering just as hard… at each other. In the shadows her successor sits sequestered the barest perception at the back of her mind. It's probably helps that Neji - glowering over her shoulder - has already said it … several times.

"Hiashi-san, you know as well as I that having not only attacked the Hyuuga, but abandoned the village and most likely exited Fire Country - faking her death in the process, well… She has more then fulfilled all the requisites of a missing nin. As such I cannot allow you to handle this as a clan issue; instead you will leave this to the hunter-nin. However, if it helps to put your mind at ease she is currently labeled as a B-rank missing nin which means she may be brought in alive for trial. "As the younger nin seeks to reply she holds up one hand preemptively. "That is all Hyuuga-san please see yourself out."

As the pale-eyed group leaves not surprisingly more disgruntled then when they came in Tsuande admirably resists the urge to wreck, destroy, and generally erupt into mayhem. Of course doing so could hat her impeached…no that would be a crime against her family name. Shit… since when has she given a damn? "Must be Naruto's influence again." Speaking of which, "Get your ass out here gaki." Her mood is moderately improved by the surprise of the hunter-nin. The brat is getting better all the time. With everyone present to each other Tsuande slips into awkward question mode.

Eyeing her knuckle-headed surrogate brother she asks," What do you know of Hinata, Naruto?" He fires back rapidly in a monotone: "Rather shy, hesitant of causing harm to others, easily flustered, excellent chakra control, user of Juken style, possessor of Byakugan dojustsu, extensive knowledge of plants and their properties, trained in reconnaissance and espionage; and a better then average grasp of human anatomy/physiology due to drive to become medic-nin." Excellent if brief.

"Correct brat. Now tell me what you know about her personally - that is who is the _person_ not the statistics." Briefly the orange clad idiot frowns up before shrugging carelessly, "I don't know." Sighing at the other blond's obtuseness Tsuande turns a hopeful gaze on the target's cousin. The expression on his face however promises disappointment. "Alright then, statistics will have to do. At the very least we do know all her possible routes of escape besides which it's doubtful she has many places to go. Move out."

…

A day has come and gone, still she keeps running always north by northeast. Her mother's mother a severe looking woman had kept a house somewhere in that direction. Blinking against the snow flurries in her eyes she tries to visualize it again. All she's able to get are impressions of silk brocade stretching upward and long white fingers tickling her chubby belly. It's been years without care or attendance perhaps the building isn't even standing now. Even with that possibility looming overhead this her best chance until the first flush of interest tapers off. Besides which there are texts there she needs to examine if she e wants to be more than a walking target for bloodline hungry fools. So thinking she pulls her hood up higher and pushes herself that extra inch.

Hiashi is not pleased and this the entire compound feels his displeasure. The branch family quarters were mostly spared allowing the Hyuuga to salvage some dignity, but even so there are a thousand things to do most importantly capturing his wayward daughter. Sporadically his fingers tighten around the skin-thin porcelain saucer in his hand, How, how had he missed her preparations, her desperation, her hatred.

His eyes cloud as he remembers the last few moths and then further back through the years. She had a always been sullen behind the timidity, the quiet, the passivity. Behind it all she had been as sullen and disgruntled as her mother - Neji's mother. 'Ohayo, Neji-niisan.' She knew just as she knew how her mother weighed down her best kimono and fell face-first into the river. A sticky mixture of sake and blood trickles between his fingers. He watches it with all the somberness of a minister watching a sinner burn. He barely attends to Hanabi his new shadow.

"Father…maybe you should rest?" timidity does not suit his almost son. He tells her as much by ignoring her for the sweating bottle of alcohol. He can remember the subtle tilt of the head, the minute lowering of the eyelids, the faint curl of lips that signaled rebellion. If he turned his head now he'd probably see it now on his remaining daughter's face as clear and obvious as her unmarked brow. If he see that right now he will likely kill her, so instead he rises with preternatural grace despite his injuries and ventures toward his commandeered bedroom. Abruptly he reaches back to snatch up his bottle. It almost looks like an afterthought.


End file.
